Sewing-machine clutch



2 Sheets-Sheet l OriginalvFiled July 15,. 1944 mm m mw :11 Q o mm I}--- .1 N W h {Fill m m I I I .L I Q :1 he 1|--- N. Wm m u W 1 W m m t v i m u w s Jan. 25, 1949. A. R. wo'oD SEWING MACHINE CLUTCH Original Filed July 15, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 25, 1949 SEWING-MACHINE CLUTCH Alfred R. Wood, Bridgeport, Conn, assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Original application July 15, 1944, Serial No. 545,035. Divided and this application June 12, 1945, Serial No. 599,061

6 Claims.

1 V This invention relates to clutches and is especially concerned with those of the one-way type and commonly referred to as the Horton type. This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 545,035, filed July 15, 1944, now Patent No. 2,411,493, Nov. 19, 1946.-

In clutches of the type in question, there is a movable or live driving element which coacts through suitable balls, cylinders or the like, with a driven element to impart to the driven element an intermittent or one-way actuation. In operation, the live driving element becomes locked with said driven element when slight relative rotation of the parts'occurs in one direction, and becomes unlocked when reverse relative rotation occurs. When the driving and, driven elements are locked together they turn as one during the efiective advancing stroke imparted to the driving member. At the end of the advancing stroke the direction of movement of the driving member is reversed, thus unlocking the driving element from the driven element.

To prevent overthrow of the driven element when reversal of the driving member occurs, it has been customary heretofore to apply a braking force to the driven element. A disclosure of the type of brake commonly used maybe seen in the U. S. patent of E. 13. Allen, No. 862,125, Aug. 6. 1907. The c'utch-brake illustratedv in the Allen patent is adapted to apply a uniformly constant load on the driven element of the clutch. While this efiectively minimizes overthrow of the clutch, it adds a load to the inertiaof the parts, which must be overcome by the actuating means of .the live clutch element. when it initially engages ,to advance the driven element. This. additional load at the beginning of the locking of the driving and driven elements results in objectionable slippage between the elements.

It is the primary objectiveof the present invention to provide clutchbraking means .which applies to the driven element of the clutch a minimum of braking action at the beginning of the clutch actuating stroke and a maximum of braking action at the end of the clutch actuating stroke.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of clutch overthrow preventive; means which functions to exert a minimum of braking action at the beginning of the clutch actuating stroke; the. braking action gradually increasing to a maximum at the end -of the clutchactuating stroke. I

With the above and other objects in view,-'as will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustratedin the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of' the invention, from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a right side elevational View, partly in section,'of a buttonhole sewing machine embodyin the invention.

Fig. '2 represents a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2,'Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan View of the machine shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 represents a vertical sectional view substantially along the line 4-4, Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, the machine chosen for the purposes of the present disclosure has a frame including a bed I from which rises a standard 2 of the bracket-arm 3 terminating in a head 4. Journaled in the bracket-arm 3 is a mainshaft 5 connected at its rearward end, by spurgears, to a countershaft 6 (Fig. 3) driven by a belt adapted to run upon a nest of pulleys 1 carried by the countershaft 6. Journaled within the standard; is avertical shaft 8 geared at its upper end to the main-shaft 5 and at its lower taken end to a bedor hook-shaft 8 journaled in the bed I. Secured to the outer end of the hookshaft 9 is a rotary loop-taker or hook l6 adapted to cooperate with a thread-carryin needle I l in the formation of lock-stitches. The needle is carried by the lower end of a needle-bar I2 journaled for endwise reciprocatory movement in .spaced bearings formed in a vibratory needlebar-gate l3 supported upon pintles l4 within the head 4. The needle-bar 12 may derive its reciprocating movements from the main-shaft 5 by means of any usual or suitable connections therewith.

The work to be buttonholed is adapted to be held in a work-clamp comprising the usual lower work-plate l5 and the upper clamp-foot l6, Fig. 1. The work-clamp is slowly moved in step-bystep fashion under the endwise reciprocatory and laterally vibratory needle ll, first away from the standard 2 and then towards the standard to cause the first and second rows of side zigzag stitches to be laid side by side in the work. The work-clamp derives its step-iby step. movements {from the usual feed-cam I! carried on a vertically disposed feed-shaft i8 journaled in'the bed i and bracket-arm 3 of the machine-frame; The

connections between the work-clamp and the acting clutch which is actuated through suitable connections with the vertical shaft 8. More spe-' cifically, the clutch preferably crnpri'ses an outer driven element or clutch-drum l9 fixed, as shown in Fig. 3, 'by a plurality of screws 23 to therecessed under surface of the feed-cam ll. posed within the clutch-drum I9 is a live driving element or clutch-spiderv 21 which, together with the clutch-drum l9, forms preferably three suitable cavities 22; the clutch-spider being pro-, vided with inclined hardened wear-plates 23., Disposed in each of the cavities 22 is a clutchmember 24 which is engaged by a plunger 25 backed by a coil-spring 26, the plunger acting to bias the clutch member 24 toward the narrow end of the cavity 22 and to wedge the same between the inclined wear-plate 23 and the clutch-surface of the drum [9. The spider 2! is oscillated constantly about the axis of. the feed-shaft l3 during the operation of the machine by means of an arcuate shaped actuating l ver 2? secured at its inner end by screws 28 to the spider 2!. At its other end, the actuating lever 27 is connected by a link 29 to the outer end of a rock-lever 33 carried by the lower end. of a vertically disposed actuating rock-shaft 3! (Fig. 1) journaled in a bearing bushing 32' pressed into the machine-bed I. At its upper end, the rock-shaft 3! .has secured thereto a second rock-lever 33 connected to a pitman 34 (Fig. 2); one end of the pitman embracing an eccentric 35 fast on the vertical shaft 8. As the shaft 8 is rotated, the eccentric- 35 imparts to the rock-shaft 3| oscillatory move-' ments which, through the rock-lever 3i), link 29 and actuating lever 2'1, oscillate the clutch-spider 2! about the axis of the feed-shaft IS, The

clutch-spider 2!, through the clutch-members 24, drives the clutch-drum 59 which rotates the feed-cam IT and feed-shaft l3 intermittently in one direction. Retrograde motion of the feedcam I! is prevented by a common form of dog shown as 36 in Fig. 3.

The speed with which the feed-cam l7 isrotat-ed is dependent upon the efiective length of the actuatng lever 21'. The means employed in the machine chosen to illustrate the presentinventicn, for conveniently varying the effective length of the actuating lever 27, is identical with that disclosed in my copending application of which this is a division. Reference may be had to such application for a complete understanding of the actuating lever adjusting means.

To prevent overthrow of the clutch during the high speedoperation of the sewing machine, the feed-cam I! has embracing its grooved periphery for a major portion thereof a, brake in the form of a wire loop 31 adjustably secured at one end preferably to a lug 38 cast integral with the machine-bed I. At its other end, the wire loop 3'! is hooked into one end of a coil-spring 39' connected at its other end to the free end of a member 40 adiustably fastened to an extension 4| fast on the rock-lever 38. It is desirable to adjustably fasten. the member 26 to the. extension 41 so that the tension of.- the coil-spring 3;lcan be properly regulated in accordancewith the par.- ticular conditions. It will be observed that, as the 4 rock-lever 30 is actuated to rotate the feedcam ll (see arrow in Fig. 3), the wire loop 83, through the coil-spring 39, is progressively tightened about the periphery of the feedca-m ii to such an extent that at the end of the stroke of the rocklever 30, the wire loop is drawn suiiiciently tight about the periphery of the feed-can: to brake the same and preclude any overthrow thereof. During the return stroke of the rock-lever it will be understood that the tension applied to the wire loop 31 will be released. The principal advantage of this type of brake is that, in its initial action to turn the feed-shaft It, the clutch does not have to overcome, in addition to the inertia of the parts, any appreciable braking force which may be needed at the end of the feed-cam advancing stroke to prevent overthrow of the clutch. In other words, with the improved wire loop brake, no braking action need be overcome at the beginning of the feed-cam advancing stroke, while, as the rock-lever 3D approaches the end of its advancing stroke, the braking action progressively increases to a maximum to prevent overthrow. The gradual increase of the braking action, as the end of the feed-advancing stroke is approached, does not present any difficulty to the successful working of the clutch, inasmuch as the braking action is not applied to the. clutchdrum until. after the clutch-members 2 are in wedging relation between the clutch-drum l9 and the spider 21'. The fact that substantially braking action exists during the short period of time that the clutch-members 2.4 are moving into wedging relation minimizes clutch slippage.

It will be. observed in the drawings that I have located the wire loop brake 31 in a groove formed in the periphery of the feed-cam 17. It will be appreciated that the same result would be obtained if the brake embraced the periphery of 40 the clutch-drum 19, instead of the feed-cam, in-

the rock-lever. which the spring 39 must expand permits the use asmuch as the feed-cam IT and clutch-drum l8 are secured together. It is to be understood that when the rotary driven element of the clutch is referred to, it is to be considered as including the feed-cam H, as well as the outer clutch-drum l9.

In Fig. 3, it will be seen that the spring 39,

' through the member 40, is connected to the rocklever 30 at a point a greater distance from the axis of oscillation of the rock-shaft 3i than is the point of connection of the link 29 with the rock-lever 30. As a result of this, a greater movement is imparted to the spring 39 than is imparted to the link 29 during each stroke of The large distance through of a coil-spring set so that it exerts only a slight amount of initial tension, the full expansion of the spring during the advancing stroke of the rock-lever 3!] increasing the tension exerted by the: spring to an ample amount to efiect proper brake action. The slight initial tension aids in minimizingthe load to be absorbed by the clutch and therefore aids in reducing the slippage of the clutch.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claimherein is:

T parting the advancing and return strokes to said driving element, and a brake applying member engageable with said driven element for exerting -a minimum of braking pressure at the beginning of the advancing stroke and a maximum of braking pressure at the termination of the advancing stroke, said brake applying member having one end stationary and its other end continuously connected to said driving element actuating means.

2. A driving mechanism of the class described, including an intermittent clutch having a driven element and a driving element having an advancing stroke and a return stroke, means for imparting the advancing and return strokes to said driving element, and an overthrow prevention device associated with said driven element including a member engageable with said driven element, a spring connected to said member, and means continuously connecting said overthrow prevention device directly with the means for imparting advancing and return strokes to said driving element.

3. A driving mechanism of the class described, including an intermittent clutch having a driven element and a driving element having an advancing stroke and a return stroke, means for imparting the advancing and return strokes to said driving element, and an overthrow prevention device associated with said driven element including a wire loop member embracing said driven element, a spring connected to said member, means for regulating the initial pressure of said spring, and means continuously connecting said overthrow prevention device with the means for imparting the advancing and return strokes to said driving element.

4. A one-way clutch device, comprising, a rotary driven-element including a clutch-drum, an oscillatory driving-element, clutch-means asso-' ciated with said driving-element for engagement with said clutch-drum in one direction of movement of said driving-element, means for actuating said driving-element, a brake-member cirincluding an intermittent clutch having a rotary driven element and a driving element, an actuating rock-shaft, a rock-lever secured to said rockshaft, means connecting said rock-lever with said clutch driving element for imparting and advancing stroke and a return stroke to said clutch driving element, and an overthrow prevention device associated with said clutch driven element including a brake-member engageable with said driven element, and a spring connected at one end directly to said brake-member and at its other end to said rock-lever whereby said brakemember is operated to exert a minimum of braking pressure at the beginning of the advancing stroke and a maximum of braking pressure at the termination of the advancing stroke.

6. A driving mechanism of the class described, including an intermittent clutch having a rotary driven element and a driving element, a lever secured to said driving element, an actuating rock-shaft, a rock-lever secured to said rockshaft, a link connecting said rock-lever with the lever on said driving element, and an overthrow prevention device including a flexible brakemember embracing said rotary driven element, means fixedly securing one end of said brakemember and a spring connected to the other end of said brake-member and to said rock-lever, the point of connection of said spring with said rocklever being a greater distance from the center of said actuating shaft than is the point of connection of said link. with said rock-lever.

ALFRED R. WOOD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 115,806 Bailey June 13, 1871 320,419 Walters June 16, 1885 345,468 Wilmott July 13, 1886 1,896,732 Stone Feb. 7, 1933 2,119,111 Minkowitz May 31, 1938 2,166,716 Chandler July 18, 1939 2,360,075 Schoij Oct. 10, 1944 

